


Abyss

by ikigai (fencingfox)



Series: P/T Word of the Day [11]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Bullying, F/M, Multi, One Word Prompts, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencingfox/pseuds/ikigai
Summary: nounan area that appears endless and immeasurable
Relationships: Miral Paris & B'Elanna Torres, Miral Paris & Tom Paris, Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Series: P/T Word of the Day [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613410
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Abyss

"Go on mongrel. Jump!" The way he said it made Miral's skin walk all over itself in an attempt to reach across the narrow valley and throttle the boy. She growled low in her throat as she took her position.

Miral bounced a few times on her toes, preparing. In an instant, she leaned forward and sprinted for the valley. Through her sneakers she felt the edge of the valley and pushed off all the way through her toes. It felt good: this flying. She quickly realized that her dad might like jumping valleys if he wasn't such a stick in the mud.

She won't make it. Miral stretched her right leg forward, hoping she'll be lucky. Almost there. Her foot landed precariously. It slipped. Sliding down the rough incline blurred for Miral.

It happened so fast. One second she felt victorious. In the next she felt miserable. She touched her ankle and winced. It _hurt_. Could she move it? No. How will she get home? The boy won't help. She heard him laughing above her, shouting insults she chose to ignore. Miral looked over to the wall face that she'd jumped from. Nothing looked like a foothold there. Even if she wasn't hurt, she wouldn't be able to climb out without help.

As the laughter and insults drifted out of earshot, Miral catalogued her injuries with a detachment that would make SoSnI' proud. The ankle was the worst of them. Besides that, her body was bruised and her arms and legs especially were scratched.

She knew that further down this valley the walls became shorter, about her height. If she could get there, she could get home. Miral shook the mud from her hands off. Then she used the wall at her back to rise onto her feet. It was hard work. At one point, she had no choice but to put pressure on her lamed ankle. She only allowed herself a sharp intake of breath though. No way was she going to let that boy make her cry.

Even if she kind of, sorta...wanted to cry. She will have to walk close to a kilometer now. On this ankle! Miral let out a frustrated shout, not caring who heard. She just needed to get it out and felt much better with it echoing softly off the valley walls ahead of her.

Miral hopped on one foot to the opposite wall. Once there, she used the wall as a makeshift crutch, leaning against it to keep as much weight off her foot as possible.

What could have been hours later—Miral didn't know, she didn't have anything to keep time by—the sun began to set. The wall was lower here, but not as low as she'd like. Still, she needed to be home before dark. Not just because her parents said so but because it would be hard to travel like this in the dark. It would be impossible to scale the wall in the dark.

Miral stopped to look up and down the wall for a good place to start. Instead of being level with her head, the wall was just low enough for her to reach with an arm. She grabbed hold with both hands, standing mostly on her good foot. If she could just pull herself up, that would work fine. She couldn't get a secure grip on the rock and sand overhead. Sand slipped from her hands and into her face before she looked down. She growled and hit the wall with an open palm.

"Did you hear that?"

Miral looked up. "Mom?"

The faces of both her parents appeared over the edge of the valley, looking surprised and a little guilty.

"What are you doing down there?" Dad asked.

"I'm making mud pies, what else?"

He didn't look convinced. "You fell in didn't you?" He pressed a hand to his forehead, rubbing at it. "Miral, how many times do we have to tell you not to play around the valley?"

"Lots." She softened her expression and her tone. "Help me up? I hurt my ankle." Dad's look of frustration melted into one of concern. Mom jumped into the valley with her immediately.

"Which ankle?" She asked.

"The right one."

Mom placed her hands on Miral's waist. "Ready?" Miral nodded and Mom lifted her up to Dad. Dad pulled her up and Mom pushed her good foot to help. Once she was standing, Dad knelt to offer her a piggy-back ride.

"I'm not five, Dad."

"You're not walking on that foot."

"Mom?"

"Don't look at me."

"Great," Miral muttered the rest of her displeasure, "Dajol better not see me."

As he hefted her onto his back, Dad politely asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Miral," Mom warned.

Miral growled, "I _said_ : Dajol better not see me. He dared me to jump." Miral pouted. "Called me names." She hid her face. "Can we walk faster?" Dad picked up the pace silently. Miral didn't look up again until Dad set her down on the living room couch.

"Put your foot on the arm and lay down," he requested gently. "I'll bring ice." Laying down, Miral stared unseeing at the textured ceiling. She sighed. She didn't need to be babied.

"Miral?" Mom asked.

"What?" Miral croaked, surprised by the tightness in her throat. She heard Mom kneel beside her.

Mom smoothed back Miral's hair and kissed her forehead. "We love you no matter what. I don't want to see you get hurt just to prove something to someone. You don't have anything to prove." Miral refused to look at Mom, feeling like she could cry at any minute. She flinched at the cold compress on her ankle. Dad smiled at her and she relaxed.

"Mom's right, sweet pea," Dad said. "We're here for you no matter what." That did it. First little tears, then bigger ones that made her body shake. Mom held her head close to her chest and Miral looped her arms around hers.


End file.
